Dry fire or snap caps?

Sterg

Sterg

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I have been doing some reading on how to be more accurate at shooting my snubby(S&W 642). Some say to put a coin on it and dry fire until you get used to the trigger. I read different opinions that dry fireing a revolver won't hurt anything but I think snap caps may be better for it. Whats everyones opinions, and if you have any advice to help improve accuracy, please chime in.
 
I personally would not dryfire a rimfire pistol or revolver, I would use a snapcap. Center fire, I use snapcaps to simulate stoppages, otherwise with a modern centerfire, you won't cause damage to the weapon. As always, check the owners manual to see what they say.
 
I've made my own dummy cartridges for my S&W .38/.357 revolvers, but I only use those for practicing reloads. For dry firing, I don't bother with snap caps or dummy cartridges.
 
*chris* said:
Except for rimfire S&W pistols, dry firing is not recommended.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...750001_750051_757815_-1_757814_757812_image#2

Chris
Click to expand...

No, they are saying all S&W revolvers EXCEPT for rimfire CAN BE dry fired. I believe you have it backwards.

Can I dry fire my S&W handgun?
Q: Can I dry fire my Smith & Wesson?

A: Yes, except for the .22 caliber pistols which includes models 22A, 22S, 422, 2206, 2214, 2213 and 41.

.22 caliber revolvers such as models 17, 43, 63, 317 and 617 also should not be dry fired.

Q: Why can't I dry fire my .22 pistol or revolver?

A: Dry firing a S&W .22 pistol or revolver will cause damage to the firing pin.
 
WanMan99 said:
No, they are saying all S&W revolvers EXCEPT for rimfire CAN BE dry fired. I believe you have it backwards.

Can I dry fire my S&W handgun?
Q: Can I dry fire my Smith & Wesson?

A: Yes, except for the .22 caliber pistols which includes models 22A, 22S, 422, 2206, 2214, 2213 and 41.

.22 caliber revolvers such as models 17, 43, 63, 317 and 617 also should not be dry fired.

Q: Why can't I dry fire my .22 pistol or revolver?

A: Dry firing a S&W .22 pistol or revolver will cause damage to the firing pin.
Click to expand...

This is true, and applies to rimfire rifles as well. I remember reading a warning about that in the owners manual of the S&W 15-22 rifle. There was also a dry fire warning about potential damage/excessive wear in the manual for my Ruger SR9c, but apparently it is caused by the firing pin hitting the mag disconnect mechanism, so once that is removed/deleted, it should be fine to dry fire (or so I was told).
 
I use dummy rounds for reload practice, but the rest of my dry fire is with an empty chamber. I prefer to make my own dummies so that the weight is correct.
 
I say get the snap caps that way your first two rounds can be snap caps when you carry. I belive the attorney general feels this is safer.....
 
You definitely do NOT want to dryfire that S&W .22 revolver.

Ouch

Smith-Dry-Fire.jpg


The only .22 i know to be ok to dryfire is the Ruger 10/22. It has a firing pin stop that does not allow the pin to actually touch the breach face of the chamber.
 
Carnea said:
More information than you ever cared to know about snap-caps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV0XAAmpGeQ

BTW, I did not watch the entire video...take it for what it's worth. [thinking]
Click to expand...


Thanks Carnea. Looks like Tipton caps are superior. I did some more digging around and some other people agree. Thanks. That video was painful to watch.Loooooong winded
 
I've hesitated to weigh in here, but I figure I might as well.

Several years ago, I had a "near miss". One of those accidental TV shootings almost happened to me.
I was using snap caps. I don't know how I screwed up, but I did.

Anyway, my rule now is no ammo in the same room that I'm dry firing. Including snap caps.
I'm not saying you should do the same. But you know how your brain works. If you are the kind of person who has to go into and out of
the house 3 times for stuff you forgot, before you can finally leave the house, then you may be better off just using an empty gun.

Thats the case with me.

Don
 
Last edited:
dcmdon said:
You definitely do NOT want to dryfire that S&W .22 revolver.

Ouch

Smith-Dry-Fire.jpg


The only .22 i know to be ok to dryfire is the Ruger 10/22. It has a firing pin stop that does not allow the pin to actually touch the breach face of the chamber.
Click to expand...

Holy crap! Looks like those chambers will need a ream, or at least a chamfer tool before you could even chamber rounds again.
 
Those are nice dans, but pricy. Also I want something I can use a million times. I'm going with dcmdons advice on this one. I can see where those could be confused with real loads.
 
Pricey? Snapcaps are $12.74 for 5 while these dummies are $15.66 for 10. That translates to $2.55 vs. $1.57 for the dummies (Brownell's prices for 9mm). What sets these apart from snapcaps is they aer the correct weight where the snapcaps are not.

The snap caps I've got are either red or blue so that they can't be confused with real ammo. The dummies are black for the same reason.

dcmcdons advice sounds reasonable. For similar reasons, I keep the snapcaps (and dummies) in a completely different location from live ammo. When I'm cleaning or 'smithing, these are handy and the ammo is not. When I'm packing up to go shooting, live ammo is handy and these are not.
 
dans said:
Pricey? Snapcaps are $12.74 for 5 while these dummies are $15.66 for 10. That translates to $2.55 vs. $1.57 for the dummies (Brownell's prices for 9mm). What sets these apart from snapcaps is they aer the correct weight where the snapcaps are not.

The snap caps I've got are either red or blue so that they can't be confused with real ammo. The dummies are black for the same reason.

dcmcdons advice sounds reasonable. For similar reasons, I keep the snapcaps (and dummies) in a completely different location from live ammo. When I'm cleaning or 'smithing, these are handy and the ammo is not. When I'm packing up to go shooting, live ammo is handy and these are not.
Click to expand...


Hi dans, I took a quick look at them and they looked like they could only be fired once. How long do they last?
 

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